Republic – Page 80 – Slugger O'Toole

No link between Cork money and Belfast heist…

Mick Fealty on October 10, 2006, 2:43 pm

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Our Republican commenters have been adamant that there was and has been no connection between the money lifted in bags out of a garden in Cork, and the Northern Bank robbery. It’s a view that if not exactly confirmed by yesterday’s announcement that there is still no evidential link between them, certainly throws up questions about assertions from ministers (here and here) that there was a connection. Even Noel Conroy was convinced in October last year that a link would …

Michael O’Leary and his plans for Aer Lingus…

Mick Fealty on October 9, 2006, 6:26 pm

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Fewer business stories outline the changes in the Republic’s society than what has happened to it’s national air carrier, Aer Lingus. When I was growing up, it was largely the preserve of Ireland’s wealthy elite or the prosperous American relative ‘home’ for their regular ten yearly visit. Ryanair on the other hand is mostly short haul, and much loved by the ‘everyman’ traveller for not having to trek through Holyhead every time they go abroad. On Sunday Richard Delevan cut …

Bertie gets Sinn Fein’s sympathy?

Mick Fealty on October 9, 2006, 1:40 am

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Phoenix Magazine had an interesting piece on the ‘Bertiegate’, most of the Sunday’s seem to be moving towards backing Bertie, and away from McDowell, for allegedly losing his nerve. But Phoenix remarks on the strange silence from Sinn Fein on the subject: Fact is that SF is horrified at the prospect of Bertie’s downfall so close to the late deadline for agreement in the Assembly. In particular, the Shinners are concerned that a new team of Irish government negotiators, minus …

“He will do so before the time limit for taking the fees expires”

Pete Baker on October 8, 2006, 4:11 pm

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With another meeting apparently scheduled between Taoiseach Bertie Ahern and Tánaiste Michael McDowell tomorrow, on the Manchester payment and any other matters, the Sunday Times unearths a tantalising piece of information. Despite being awarded damages and costs in a successful libel case he brought in 2001, as a private individual, against a Cork developer who had claimed that Ahern had been paid IR£50,000 (€63,500) by another developer in 1989, Bertie Ahern has yet to make any effort to collect the …

McDowell: Crisis over, nothing to see here

Mick Fealty on October 6, 2006, 5:36 pm

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Just had this from reader Gabriel: Just listening to the 1 o’clock news on NewsTalk, and it seems McDowell has just declared crisis over. He said that “damage has been done to the government”, but this scandal broke over events “that took place a long time ago”, and it’s time to fix the divisions and “get on with government”. Hmmm… They also reported that the FF backbenchers are solid behind Bertie… I wonder if the Irish Times thinks its over…Colm …

Beritegate: silence at the top…

Mick Fealty on October 6, 2006, 2:46 pm

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Things are not looking good for the Taoiseach, now a link between the £8,000 and the purchase of his house has been established. There is by all accounts a steely silence emerging between the Taoiseach’s office and that of the Tainiste.In Mick FealtyMick is founding editor of Slugger. He has written papers on the impacts of the Internet on politics and the wider media and is a regular guest and speaking events across Ireland, the UK and Europe. Twitter: @MickFealty

O’Leary bid for Aer Lingus…

Mick Fealty on October 6, 2006, 1:24 pm

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Interesting prospective figures in any future merger between the Republic’s two biggest airlines. The combined group would operate on about 500 routes, competing on only 17. Ryanair would combine purchasing with Aer Lingus to drive down fares and costs. Together, Ryanair and Aer Lingus handle about 70% of the passengers at Dublin Airport. The takeover would face scrutiny from Irish and European regulators. So far the board and the Ahern government are saying no to a hostile bid from Ryanair. …

E-voting machines successfully hacked…

Mick Fealty on October 5, 2006, 5:07 pm

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More bad news for the Republic’s plans for e-voting.. Mick FealtyMick is founding editor of Slugger. He has written papers on the impacts of the Internet on politics and the wider media and is a regular guest and speaking events across Ireland, the UK and Europe. Twitter: @MickFealty

Last minute contacts as Bertie prepares to answer questions

Pete Baker on October 3, 2006, 7:28 pm

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As other interested parties emerge to proffer excuses, and last minutes contacts between parties are reported [that’s cutting it fine – Ed], Taioseach Bertie Ahern will be attempting to answer those questions, and any others, in the Dáil today at 4.15pm – Live online here Adds With questions over, excerpts from Bertie’s apologia [on for the bewilderment – Ed], and more coverage here and here. More belowIt’s worth looking very closely at the lines that are being promoted as the …

Ahern crisis gives rise to concerns in London

Mick Fealty on October 2, 2006, 1:43 pm

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Henry McDonald picks up jitters in London over the possibility of losing their co-host of the Northern Irish peace process. Mick FealtyMick is founding editor of Slugger. He has written papers on the impacts of the Internet on politics and the wider media and is a regular guest and speaking events across Ireland, the UK and Europe. Twitter: @MickFealty

Still more questions than answers..

Pete Baker on October 1, 2006, 7:30 pm

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With the Tribunal reminding Bertie Ahern to “respect the confidentiality of details provided”, others seem content to blame Anybody But Bertie for the crisis, and the man himself has finally gotten around to paying back the IR£39,000 (£33,000stg) personal loan from 1993/4, plus interest, by sending off cheques worth €90,000 in total [as you do – Ed]. Meanwhile, Gene Kerrigan, quite correctly, questions every single detail that has emerged – including the idea that the information given to the Tribunal …

Tribunal trying to gag Ahern?

Mick Fealty on October 1, 2006, 12:14 pm

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Well not exactly. Trying to shut the stable door after the horse has bolted, the Mahon Tribunal has now written to Bertie cautioning him about “the need to respect the confidentiality of details provided to it in any public comments he makes”. Mick FealtyMick is founding editor of Slugger. He has written papers on the impacts of the Internet on politics and the wider media and is a regular guest and speaking events across Ireland, the UK and Europe. Twitter: …

More questions on Berties gifts/loans

Pete Baker on October 1, 2006, 3:02 am

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The Irish Examiner today highlighted some of the apparent discrepancies in the various accounts given of the circumstances of the payments to then-Minister for Finance, Bertie Ahern.. and some early poll results..From the Irish Examiner Highlighting the severe strains in the Coalition over the matter, Foreign Minister Dermot Ahern expressed “surprise” that Tánaiste and PD leader Michael McDowell had found the Manchester payment of such concern on Thursday when he had not referred to it at all on Wednesday. Developer …

Weekend might not bring relief for Ahern

Pete Baker on September 29, 2006, 3:42 pm

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While Bertie’s gifts/personal loans might not be the subject of discussions in the D�il again until Tuesday, elsewhere they remain a topic of interest. Not least in the Irish Times, who today suggest that the revelation of the Manchester gift of �8,000, which Ahern claims was for his appearance in a personal capacity, came about because he believed the Irish Times had that information already. Also related, the Irish Times lawyers have told the Mahon Tribunal that they will not …

Time out until Tuesday…

Mick Fealty on September 29, 2006, 2:17 pm

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It seems the news of Bertie’s resignation was pre-mature, though it also seems there has been a lot of backroom powerplay going on. On the scale of things, £8,000 is neither here nor there. Although it would seem an important principle has been breached, Ahern is squeaky clean compared to some of his more notorious forebears, who clearly believed he had disposited his duty by making disclosure to the Moriarty Tribunal.No one in cabinet is particularly keen to see him …

Ahern to resign, Oireachtas in chaos..?

Mick Fealty on September 29, 2006, 12:25 am

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If this is true, and we’ve no reason to think that David and the guys at Politics.ie are wrong, then it might explain Michael McDowell’s strange reversal on RTE this evening… Keep watching this space… Update from Politics.ie: 20.35 – It now seems unlikely that Ahern will resign tonight, preferring to hold out for the Dail to debate/discuss the matter on Tuesday (as Tom Kitt has allowed), however with the PDs in discussions tonight, will they be the ones made …

Bertie’s difficulty, Sinn Fein’s opportunity…?

Mick Fealty on September 28, 2006, 6:19 pm

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It’s a bit premature to be talking about long term consequences of a crisis that hasn’t quite caught full fire. But there is a certain lack of completeness in the Taoiseach’s explanation of the smaller amount he received for talking to a group of Manchester businessmen. At least one of the offline Dublin papers suggests that this may be the smoking gun. In which case, that work that the Sinn Fein ‘foot soldiers’ are putting in to a small but …

“If you have ambition in Poland, you come to Ireland”

Mick Fealty on September 28, 2006, 2:18 pm

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The old northern narrative that the Republic got rich purely on the consumption of large grants from the EU is long since busted, though sadly that is probably more true to Northern Ireland’s Peace Process™’s bias towards short term ‘keep the peace’ projects which by and large confer limited lasting value for the local communities invested in. Reuven Brenner with a breezy account of how they did it, and why being a favoured destination for ambitious immigrants is good for …

McDowell: Taoiseach was ill-advised, but not improper…

Mick Fealty on September 28, 2006, 1:34 am

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Michael McDowell has been keeping his powder dry all afternoon the Dail, despite some heavy taunting from the opposition benches. He was never going to treat this crisis quietly, but whilst passing the Taoiseach’s action as ill-advised, he doesn’t entirely pull his punches. But the it is the last line that will have many inside and outside the state shivering in thoughts of what might now be contained in his planned Privacy Bill, which has received heavy criticism on both …

“My advice is I’ve broken absolutely no codes”

Pete Baker on September 27, 2006, 5:36 pm

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With Taoiseach Bertie Ahern facing a grilling in the Dáil this afternoon, over his admission of receiving the equivalent of £33,000stg in 1993/4, there are indications of some of the details likely to provide the focus of those questions. It would appear that technically a personal loan, assuming that’s what it was, would not be required to be disclosed in 1994, although, according to one report, by 1995 it would have been. Perhaps of more concern, as the Irish Times …